Ecosystems provide humans with services that include benefits from food, fresh water, climate regulation, and socio-economic assets. The Mesopotamian marshlands are among the largest wetlands in the Middle East and they provide various benefits. However, ecosystem services of the Marshlands are consistently undervalued in national economic analysis and decision making. This study focusses on the Central Marshes, the first National Park in Iraq, and is the first attempt at valuing a series of ecosystem services from a valuable natural ecosystem in Iraq. We adopted the Toolkit for Ecosystem Services Site-Based Assessment (TESSA) for the determination of biophysical and economic values of services at the site level. Data on key ecosystem services (as determined by 30 interviews with residents of the Marshes) included the trading of fish, harvested plants, water buffalo milk, and fodder were collected across six months in 2014. We valued the ecosystem services within the CM (40,000 ha) over a 6-month period to have a total value of 860,078.23 USD. This estimated total value was the sum of 86,637.25 USD from harvested plants, 551,334.80 USD from trading fish, 167, 303.70 USD from trading water buffalo milk, and 54,804.00 USD from trading fodder. The average income per individual in Iraq in 2014 was 6720 USD (World Bank data - https://data.worldbank.org/country/iraq): thus, the CM provided an average salary for 256 people. Our results provided greater understanding of the ecosystem services contributed by the Central Marshes and has highlighted the crucial role of nature in supporting sustainable well-being for humans living in the area. In addition, the results can be used to enhance local policy, to aid management plans of the National park, and to estimate lost and damage that could result from impact of climate change on the area.
Flexible pipes, such as GRP pipes, serve as effective underground infrastructure especially as sewer pipeline. This study is an attempt for understanding the effects of bedding types on the behavior of large diameter GRP flexible sewer pipes using three dimensional finite element approaches. Theoretical and numerical analyses were performed using both BS EN 1295-1 approach and finite element method (ABAQUS software). The effects of different parameters are studied such as, depth of backfill, bedding compaction, and backfill compaction. Due to compaction, an increase in the bedding compaction modulus (E’1) results in a reduction of both stresses and displacements of the pipe, especially, for well compacted ba
... Show MoreThe inelastic longitudinal electron scattering form factors are calculated for the low-lying excited states of 7Li {the first excited state 2121TJ (0.478 MeV) and the second excited state 2127TJ (4.63 MeV)}. The exact value of the center of mass correction in the translation invariant shell model (TISM) has been included and gives good results. A higher 2p-shell configuration enhances the form factors for high q-values and resolves many discrepancies with the experiments. The data are well described when the core polarization (CP) effects are included through effective nucleon charge. The results are compared with other theoretical models.
Keyword: 7Li inelastic electron scattering form factors calculated with exact
Background: Bladder cancer (BC) is the most common malignant tumor in the urinary tract and the tenth most common malignancy worldwide. Exosomes are 40–100 nm-diameter nanovesicles that are either released straight from the plasma membrane during budding or merged with the plasma membrane by multivesicular bodies. Objectives: To assess the proportion of serum and urinary Exosome levels in urinary bladder cancer patients, as well as their impact on the disease. Methods: From January 2023 to June 2023, a total of 45 samples of blood and urine were collected from individuals diagnosed with bladder cancer at the Ghazi Hariri Hospital for Specialized Surgery. They included 45 male and female patients, varying in age, as well as 45 heal
... Show MoreThe influence of different thickness (500,750, and 1000) nm on the structure properties electrical conductivity and hall effect measurements have been investigated on the films of copper indium selenide CuInSe2 (CIS) the films were prepared by thermal evaporation technique on glass substrates at RT from compound alloy. The XRD pattern show that the film have poly crystalline structure a, the grain size increasing with as a function the thickness. Electrical conductivity (σ), the activation energies (Ea1,Ea2), hall mobility and the carrier concentration are investigated as function of thickness. All films contain two types of transport mechanisms of free carriers increase films thickness. The electrical conductivity increase with thickness
... Show MoreNicotiana tobaccum L (Solanacea) extracts are used as a mollusciede to the snail Bulinus truncatus the intermediate host of urinary Schistosomiasis. LC50 of the extracts to the snail with 24 hour was 3.27 ml/l? 48 hour was 3.33 ml/l? 72 hour was 2.67 ml/l and 96 hour was 2.28ml/l. This study showed the ability to use the leaf extracts in the control of this type of snail.
Cadmium element is one of the group IIB and classified as heavy metal and effects on human health and environment. The present work concerns with the biosorption of Cd(II) ions from aqueous solution using the outer layer of onions. Adsorption of the used ions was found to be pH dependent and maximum removal of the ions by outer layer of onions and was found to be 99.7%.
This paper reports on the experimental study, which conducted a series of triaxial tests for the asphalt concrete using hydrated lime as a mineral additive. Three HMA mixes, prepared by the specification for wearing, levelling and base layers, were studied under three different temperatures. The test results have demonstrated that, compared with the control mixes excluding HL, the permanent deformation resistance of the HL modified mixes has significant improvement. The deformation has been reduced at the same load repetition number, meanwhile the flow number has been considerably increased. The degree of improvement in permanent deformation resistance using HL is more pronounced at high stress deviation states and high temperature.
... Show MoreBackground: This in vitro study evaluated the effect of canal dryness and flaring on the accuracy of two electronic apex locators for working length (WL) determination. Materials and methods: Sixty extracted teeth were used, after access opening was done, the occlusal surface was flattened to create stable reference point. The teeth were randomly divided into two equal main groups of flared and unflared group each one of 30 teeth. The flaring was done with Gates Glidden drills. The two main groups were further subdivided into two subgroups: dry canal and wet canal using 5.25% sodium hypochlorite groups, Electronic WL of each sample was determined using both Root ZX and i-Root apex locator. Consequently, histologic WL was determined by shav
... Show MoreThis study aims to evaluate and compare the cytotoxicity and biocompatibility of a modified heat-cured acrylic denture base material containing 15% phosphoric acid 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate ester (PA2HEME) with those of nonmodified PMMA. Discs with a diameter of 12 mm and a thickness of 2 mm were prepared using a heat-cured PMMA denture base material and divided into control and experimental groups. The experimental group was modified with 15% phosphoric acid 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate ester (PA2HEME). The modified and nonmodified materials were tested via FTIR, and the effect of modification on surface roughness was evaluated with AFM. An in vitro test was conducted to examine the cytotoxicity and biocompatibility of heat-cured acry
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